Bloomfield group wants vote delayed

The Bloomfield School site in north-end Halifax. (TED PRITCHARD/ Staff )

The province has reached out to a community group in the last few days over its plan for a redevelopment of the Bloomfield School site following criticism of limited interaction with the organization.

But Imagine Bloomfield still wants Halifax regional council to delay a vote on a staff report that chose the Nova Scotia Housing Development Corp. as the best option for the proposed redevelopment.

“We have just had some phone conversations; I think we need to have a couple of more meetings,” Susanna Fuller, co-chairwoman of Imagine Bloomfield.

“I’m glad they reached out. They kind of had to. They could have saved a whole lot of work if they had done it beforehand, but lessons can be learned.”

The staff report, released to the public Friday, showed that the housing development corporation’s proposal received the highest score, at 73 out of 100, and was found to have met minimum requirements following a request for proposals process that concluded in September.

Dexel Developments Ltd., headed by Louie Lawen, finished second with a score of 66, followed by a submission from Urban Capital Group and Killam Properties Inc. that had a final score of 48.

The requirements included 10,000 square feet of commercial market space targeted for the creative industries, 20,000 square feet of affordable community and cultural space, and 20 per cent of the area reserved for public open space.

While the province’s proposal met the minimum requirements, Fuller said it only scored 18 out of 35 for its understanding of the vision and objectives for the

site, well below the scores of the other proponents.

She said she also wants the financial component, 50 per cent of the total score, clarified to “ensure transparency and accountability.”

The housing development corporation offered $15 million for the 1.5-hectare site bordered by Agricola, Robie and Almon streets, more than half what the other proponents offered.

“It’s our feeling that had the province reached out to us during the proposal writing stage that we could have certainly assisted them in helping to better understand the vision and to make sure that their proposal was meeting what we saw as the basic requirements of the” request for proposals, Fuller said.

Dan Troke, executive director of housing with the Community Services Department, said officials intend to sit down with Imagine Bloomfield, the municipality and other interested parties.

“We quite honestly wanted to be in a position where we would put forward a proposal that would secure the property and then allow us to continue not just the conversation with Imagine Bloomfield but the entire community around what could be and how it could work out,” he said.

Specific details of the plan are not known, but the housing development corporation proposes to build a mixed-use development with 478 units, underground parking and 40 per cent affordable housing units.

City staff said there were some “shortcomings” with the proposal, particularly with the buildings, which “are large in massing and are not well-oriented to the street.”

Troke said all buildings will fall within municipal centre plan requirements and the proposal is a preliminary vision that serves as a starting point for discussion.

The result was also criticized last week by Lawen, who said he was concerned about a public body competing with private companies.

But Community Services Minister Denise Peterson-Rafuse said all proponents were on equal footing during the request for proposals.

“I don’t see where we, in particular, have any kind of advantage over a developer because the process is a step-by-step process that everybody has to follow,” she said.